Welcoming a baby into your life brings a series of small and big decisions that parents, especially moms, need to take. Everything from choosing a cradle to the right diaper brand can seem overwhelming.
The process becomes even more daunting when seemingly small decisions appear to impact your lives significantly. For instance, what you keep inside your baby’s diaper bag might not seem like a big deal, but in actuality, it influences your parenting.
Does a Diaper Make that Big of a Difference?
Even though they should, no one guides new parents on how to pick the right baby products for their newborns, unfortunately. Online blogs and social media might have made things easier for some, but for the rest, they have made them more confusing.
While some Pinay moms might prefer cloth diapers because they are cheaper, some complain that they make their kids irritable. So, it would not be wrong to say that choosing the right kind of diaper for your kid can make your life easier. We believe, for the Philippine climate, anything other than a good dry diaper would not be a good choice.
Checklist for Choosing a Diaper Brand for Your Kid
Picking up a diaper for your baby is sometimes more confusing than it sounds. Every brand in the market makes huge and unrealistic claims that tempt parents to buy their products and get disappointed later. But if it is not wise to buy a product based on the claims made by the manufacturers, then what is the right way?
We have prepared a checklist to answer this question and guide you through your purchase.
1. Is it Absorbent Enough?
The first criterion for buying diaper pants should be the absorbency it offers. The product that you pick for your baby should be able to stay on for hours without getting saggy. The wetness of a saggy nappy makes a baby irritable by leaving a rash on their sensitive skin.
Many new parents do not understand the reason why their baby starts crying all of a sudden. Most of the time, the culprit is a wet diaper which makes their baby cranky. Therefore, several brands have now included wetness indicator lines that make it easier to identify when a diaper is soiled.
2. Does my Baby Feel Comfortable When Wearing this Diaper?
Babies have the softest skin that makes you want to cuddle with them for hours, but this skin is delicate and needs care. Therefore, a diaper’s material is of prime importance, and you must try finding something that is gentle with your baby’s bottom.
The key is to find a product that uses soft and breathable material and does not restrict airflow. Moreover, if your baby’s skin is extremely sensitive, avoid purchasing products with added fragrances because they can even lead to irritation.
Another criterion to determine whether a nappy is comfortable is its stretchability. A diaper that stretches easily is comfortable and does not leave marks or rash on your baby’s skin.
3. Is it the Right Size?
Not choosing the right size of diaper for your baby means making them uncomfortable on purpose. The right size depends upon your baby’s weight, especially the legs. For instance, you might need a smaller size than a baby of the same age if your kid has lean legs.
You can try different sizes to find the accurate one; the right one will be neither too tight nor too loose. Therefore, avoid buying a huge stock until you are not certain that the one you have got is perfect.
4. What Have Other Parents got to Say About this?
Instead of falling for marketing campaigns, advertisements, or high claims, do your own research.
Regardless of how well-reputed a brand or its products are, always look for reviews online. Check what other people have got to say about their experience with that particular seller. You can reach out to friends and family for recommendations based on their experiences.
5. Is this Brand Versatile?
Babies grow up fast, and the diaper brand you choose should grow with your kid. The struggle of looking through a dozen baby stores to find the right product every few months can be a little too much.
Let us assume you have shortlisted a couple of good diaper pants for your baby. The next thing that will help you make a choice is the availability of the brand. Again, it would be too demanding to run to a specific mart or wait for an online store to restock your preferred product.
6. Can my Budget Accommodate this Every Month?
Every baby has different eating habits; and hence, a unique defecating schedule. Knowing about your kid’s routine will help you estimate the part of your budget that will go into buying diapers.
Therefore, choose a brand keeping other baby products’ expenditures in mind. High reputation and prices do not always guarantee excellent quality. Pick what suits your child and your budget.
Is a Cloth Diaper Better than a Disposable Diaper?
Popular opinion dictates that a cloth diaper does not give a nappy rash, which is not true in all cases. In fact, a cloth nappy is much more prone to leaking and eventually messing up sheets and baby’s clothes. Moreover, a cloth diaper never fully dries, thus increasing the likelihood of rash and irritation.
Above all, for a newborn, assuming you do laundry every three days, you will need at least thirty cloth diapers. The number is a lot considering these diapers do not have any significant pros compared to disposable ones.
Wrapping Up
Taking care of their baby in every possible way becomes a top priority for all mothers as soon as they give birth. Just like other things, a mom knows better than anyone what is best for their kid and what harms them.
A happy baby means a satisfied mom. Diapers are one of many things that play a role in a kid’s comfort, so their mother wants them to be as comfortable as possible. With the help of our checklist, you will be able to take care of your child’s ease.
